28 Years Later
by jezzarose20
Summary: Instead of putting baby Emma into the wardrobe with August, Gipetto decided to let Snow join her daughter. Things are drastically changed by this choice... SWANQUEEN. Don't like? Don't read.
1. Prologue

Summary: Instead of putting baby Emma into the wardrobe with August, Gipetto decided to let Snow join her daughter. Things are drastically changed by this choice...

 _Author's Note: This is most definitely a SwanQueen story. Snowing will be involved as well but probably won't be a very big part of the story. Hope you enjoy the story and remember to review._

 _JezzaRose20_

 **Prologue**

 _Snow White_

It was a cold October morning when Gipetto came to us with a change of plans. Charming and I had been sitting in the castle, spending time with the dwarves and the people we loved. The Curse wasn't long away and we knew we had to spend time with our family before it was too late. We'd been eating a small brunch when Gipetto entered, accompanied by his small son, August. We greeted him kindly and offered him a seat that he took gratefully. August climbed into his father's lap eagerly, making us all smile. It was easy to see how much father and son loved each other. It made me a little sad, though, because Charming and I would miss out on that experience. We wouldn't see what Emma's life would be like. By the time we got to know her, she'd be a grown woman.

"I have changed my mind about something and I wanted you to be the first to know."

"What is it? You haven't decided not to build the wardrobe?"

Gipetto shook his head. "No. Of course not. I've decided not to send August through. I know we're going somewhere cursed but...he's so young. I'd like him with me. And he's insistent that he stay with me. Wherever we go, I don't want him going through that wardrobe with Emma."

Charming's eyes filled with tears. "Gipetto...you're giving us the best gift of all. One of us will get to stay with Emma."

"Emma needs one of you. She can't go to another world without someone who loves her."

"Thank you, Gipetto. Thank you so much."

"I'm almost finished with the wardrobe. It will be finished by nightfall."

Charming smiled. "That's good."

"I should get back to work. I want to finish as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Gipetto."

Gipetto stood and took August's hand. Together, they left the palace to return to crafting the wardrobe that would take us through to another world. Charming turned and wrapped his arms around me. Joy spread through me. I knew Charming would insist that I go through the wardrobe with Emma and that meant that I'd get to watch her grow up. She would never feel unloved or unwanted. My baby would grow up knowing who she was and what she meant to our world.

"I want you to go through that wardrobe with our daughter, Snow. We don't know what this cursed land is going to be like and I don't want anything bad to happen to you. Go through with our daughter and keep her safe."

"I will. She's going to know who she is, Charming. I promise. She'll know what she means to this world."

"No. Don't tell her. I know it sounds weird but wait until she's supposed to break the curse. Something tells me that's a better idea."

"Okay."

Before Charming could reply, my water broke. Labor had officially started. I felt myself be pulled to my feet, Charming's arm tight around my waist. He led me to our bed chambers. Pain ripped through my abdomen as contraction after contraction ripped through me. Finally, thirty minutes into labor, Emma Swan was born. She was beautiful with her blonde hair and green eyes and my heart loved her instantly. As we sat in our bedchambers, Gipetto came in with the wardrobe to tell us that he'd finished it. We thanked him gratefully and he left to spend the last few hours with his son. We could all see the purple smoke that was Regina's curse approaching.

The blue fairy closed my wounds from labor and then told me that I needed to get ready. Soon, I would have to enter the wardrobe with baby Emma. Charming and I shared one last passionate kiss before I stood. Charming kissed his daughter, whispering loving words to her. And then I climbed into the wardrobe with Emma.

We came out into a small cottage in a forest. There were two rooms, one set up as a nursery and the other as an adult bedroom. I lay Emma in the crib that was obviously for her and set out to explore the rest of the house. There were clothes in my closet that would fit me perfectly and a wallet on the kitchen counter with identification in it that matched my face. The name on the identification was Mary-Margaret Blanchard. There was also a birth certificate for Emma.

I also discovered that I had a job in this new world. I was a teacher in the neighboring town of Storybrooke, Maine. It was an odd name for a town and I had no idea at that moment that I would spend the next twenty-eight years watching Charming love someone else in that town. Yes, Storybrooke was the cursed land that my step-mother had brought us to. My cottage was just on the edge of the forest that surrounded Storybrooke. It angered Regina more than anything else that I'd escaped the curse, that I still had my memories. But she reveled in showing me that Charming didn't love me in this world. She knew that my daughter would someday grow up to defeat her. She knew that her little revenge wouldn't last long. But neither of us could have imagined the way things would eventually play out. If we had...well we wouldn't have believed it anyways.

Twenty-eight years later, everything changed...


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

 _Emma_

When I'd left home at eighteen, I'd believed that everything would work out for the best. I'd find a job and a husband. Basically, I'd have the kind of life that my mother never had the chance to have. Oh boy was I wrong. I was living with three other women, working at a fast food joint. There was no man in my life and things were starting too look as if I'd end up like my mother. The thought was horrifying. Not because mom was a bad person, mind you. My mom, Mary-Margaret Blanchard, was an amazing woman. She was sweet and funny and I'd never known her to say an unkind word about anyone. Not even the step-mother who had tried to kill her when she was younger. But she was lonely. She'd lost my father the night I was born and she'd never found him again. I didn't want to end up that way. Not at all.

Needless to say, I didn't think that things could get worse. Oh boy was I wrong. I'd decided to go to a party with a friend one night. She had told me that the party was completely safe, that nothing could ever happen to me there. She lied. Two hours into the party, a man who called himself Neal Cassidy pulled me into a back room and...well he raped me. I'm not going to go into details because it was horrible...but I ended up pregnant because of it. Pregnant at eighteen years old. I was too ashamed to go to my mother and so I kept it a secret. I gave birth to a boy and almost immediately gave him up for adoption. It was a closed adoption and so I didn't know the adoptive parents but that was the way I wanted it. My mother could never know what I'd done.

I didn't return to the small cottage where I'd grown up until the evening of my twenty-eighth birthday. Mom was hard at work when I walked in, baking a cake and cooking dinner. She smiled when she caught sight of me and rushed over to hug me. I had to smile. Mom was always so enthusiastic and it never failed to make me smile. She led me into the kitchen where she poured me a glass of lemonade.

"Happy birthday Emma, love."

"Thanks mom."

Before she could say anything else, there was a knock on the door. Mom left to go answer it and she came back with a small boy. He had short brown hair and eyes that I saw every morning in the mirror. Gods. This couldn't be...

"Emma, this young man is here for you."

"Can I help ya kid?"

"Actually, you can. My name is Henry Mills and I'm your son."

"That's...that's ridiculous! Emma doesn't..."

Mom's voice trailed off at the look on my face.

"Emma. Please tell me this isn't true."

"I...can't. He's my son."

"You'd have had to have him when you were nineteen, Emma."

"I was raped. Couldn't keep him. Also didn't want to tell you." I said, sounding ever the sullen teenager.

"Emma..."

"What are you doing here Henry?" I asked, voice quiet.

"I have something to tell you. Something you're not going to believe but your mother will verify that it's the truth. I promise you."

"What is it?" I asked curiously.

"You're part of a fairy tale. Your mother is Snow White and your father is Prince Charming. The Evil Queen, who is also my adoptive mother Regina, cast a curse on the whole kingdom which brought them here. Your father has no idea who he really is and neither does anyone else in town. Your mom only knows because she avoided the curse by climbing into a magical wardrobe so that you could grow up and break the curse." He paused then said, "I know that sounds crazy. Okay? I hear it. If I were you, I'd kick me out. But I swear I'm telling the truth."

I looked at my mother. A part of me was screaming to just ignore the kid. He was probably insane. I mean, he was my kid and I was a pretty messed up person so it only made sense that he'd be a little insane too. But most of me kind of believed it. There was something about Henry. Something that told me he was telling the truth. And the look on my mother's face that said he wasn't lying. Besides...how else could I explain the way she never seemed to age. She should have looked much older...but she only really looked around my age. Maybe a few years older. Her next words, spoken in a soft, careful voice, told me that Henry was telling the truth.

"He's not lying. I really am Snow and your father really is Charming."

"My father's name is Charming?"

"Not really. Charming is a nickname I came up with when we first met. His real name is David."

"Wow. And now I'm supposed to...what?"

"You're supposed to break the curse, of course. You're the savior. Born of true love. Only you can restore everything to the way it should be."

"I kinda figured that out. But how?"

"This has happened before...sort of. There's a book that tells everything that's happened before and that will happen later. When it was written, though, Gipetto had insisted that his son go through the wardrobe with Emma. His changing his mind wasn't recorded in the book for some reason. In the book, I ran away to Boston where Emma was living. I brought her to Storybrooke and a lot of stuff happened. Eventually, I hate a poisoned apple that was meant for Emma and it cursed me with the Sleeping Curse. Emma kissed my forehead and the curse broke. Both curses that is. But...they missed something vital in that timeline. Something that could redeem my mom."

"Redeem Regina?" Mom asked, interested.

"In the book, I hated my Mom because she's the Evil Queen and I thought she wanted everyone dead. But I don't hate her in this timeline because I've talked to her about the curse and she was honest with me. She cast it before she really thought about what it meant. She only wants her happy ending. And...her happy ending is Emma."

"Emma? You mean...Regina's true love is Emma?"

"Exactly. In order to break the curse this time around, you and Mom have to fall in love. She wants the curse broken...but she was scared to come here herself. She knows that she's done a lot to hurt Snow and she doesn't want to make things any worse so she let me come and explain things."

"What do I do?" I asked quietly.

Henry smiled. "You have to go talk to her. Mom's a bit intimidating at first but she's not evil. Not anymore anyways. She's seen the error of her ways and all she wants is to have her happy ending."

"Does she know it's me?"

"Of course she does. But she wants to fall in love. She wants you to be in love with her. Which is the only way the curse will break. Please, please come back with me."

I looked over at my mother. "Okay kid. We'll go see Regina."

Mom kissed my forehead. "Tell Regina I'm sorry. Tell her I forgive her."

I smiled. "I will."

Henry followed me out to my car, a yellow bug. We got in and he directed me into Storybrooke and down the street towards a large mansion. He explained that they lived in the mansion because Regina was the Mayor. We parked in front of the mansion and he got out. By the time I got out, Regina Mills had come out of the mansion. She was...well beautiful to be honest. Black hair. Beautiful body. I stared at her for a moment before walking towards her.

"You must be Emma Swan."

"That's me. You must be Regina."

"Would you like to come inside? We have a lot to talk about."

"That would probably be a good idea."

Regina led me into the manor and into a tastefully decorated sitting room. She poured us both a glass of apple cider and then sat down. Neither of us spoke for a long time, both of us lost in thought. When Regina finally did speak, her voice was quiet.

"I know you've probably just had the shock of a lifetime but I appreciate you believing everything Henry told you."

"Well, mom backed him up and she can't lie to save her life. It's the one thing I can count on."

"Yes, I know."

"She told me to tell she's sorry. And that she forgives you."

"I'm grateful for that. Snow...she didn't deserve my cruelty. Of course, it wasn't until I adopted Henry that I realized how stupid I'd been for hating her."

"What did she do?"

"I was in love with a servant girl. We were planning to run away before I had to marry the king...and she let it slip to my mother that I was planning on running away. Mother killed the servant girl...and forced me to marry the king anyways. I...I hated Snow for something that all children do. I caused so much harm...and now I can't do anything to make it better."

"Yes you can. You can fall in love with me. You can break the curse. Reunite my mother with my father. You can help so many people. All you have to do is try."

Regina leveled a gaze at me before she said, "All right."

And so we'd begun...

Author's Note: So, Regina will be a bit nicer in this version. This is simply because this story is on a different timeline than OUAT. Hope you enjoyed chapter one. :)

JezzaRose20


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

 _Regina_

When Henry had come to me, asking questions about my days as the Evil Queen, my first instinct had been to lie. To get him in to see a shrink in the hopes that he'd think himself crazy and drop the whole subject. But the bigger part of me, that part that was crying out for redemption, wanted him to know the truth. And so I told him the truth. I told him even the details most mothers would have hidden from their child. He listened carefully and - when I'd finished - asked if I still wanted Snow White dead, if I was happy with the curse. I was honest again. I could have said that I wanted her dead now just as much as I did then. But I didn't. I told him that I was sick of fighting. That I had realized, after becoming a mother, that she'd only been a child. I shouldn't have hated her for not doing something that most children can't do: keep a secret. Henry took this all with a nod before stating that he knew how to break the curse.

I was shocked. How could he know how to break the curse when even I couldn't have done it? The curse had been cast with magic. I couldn't break the curse without magic. But Henry only smiled at me, explaining that he'd been doing research. Not surprising. When Henry got something in his head, he researched it until he'd exhausted himself. He told me he'd found that only my true love could break the curse. Ridiculous, of course, villains didn't get happy endings. At this, Henry rolled his eyes at me. Of course they did, he said. And besides, I wasn't a villain anymore. It was nice to have him treating me like his mother again. For the past few months, he'd been treating me as an enemy. Now he was treating me like his mother again and it made me smile.

When I asked him who my true love was, he smiled and said that it was his birth mother, Snow White's daughter. Which meant that I was screwed. Snow would never let me anywhere near her daughter. Henry laughed when I said that, saying only that Snow was more forgiving than I thought she was and anyways Emma was a grown woman who could make her own decisions. And then he smiled, looked down at his watch, and left the room. Henry came back with his shoes and jacket on, saying only that he'd figured out where Emma was. He said he'd be back soon and ran off before I could even think of stopping him.

He returned an hour later with a petite woman with long blonde hair and green eyes. She wore a pair of jeans and a white tank top with a red leather jacket. Her long hair was down around her shoulders ad she was smiling softly. She was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen and I was hoping that what Henry had said was the truth. I was hoping that she really was my true love. Not because of her beauty but because you could see in her eyes that she was a really, truly good person.

We ended up talking for over two hours that night. Emma was every bit as beautiful in personality as she was in looks. I knew I could fall in love with her and that it would only be a matter of time before it happened. While the idea of falling in love scared me, I knew that it would happen regardless of what I said or did. Pushing Emma away would do nothing but make Henry angry at her. It would not break the curse and it would not help me. Ever since the woman I loved had been murdered by my mother, I'd had a problem letting people in. But I could not do that with Emma. I had to let her in.

The next morning, Snow was coming over to see me for the first time since I had cast the curse. She came in and I was shocked at how...the same she'd looked. So the curse had affected her as well. She hadn't aged a single day. Her hair was cut short but she was still Snow White, the most beautiful woman in all the land. I'd been worried at first that I would feel the same hatred that I'd always felt. Thankfully, I felt nothing aside from remorse. Remorse for all I had put this woman through. Tears filled my eyes almost before I'd fully seen her. She hugged me tightly, pressing her face against my shoulder. I held her for a long moment, standing in my front yard with cars passing by.

"I didn't believe you'd changed at first. When Henry came to find Emma, I honestly thought he was just a child wanting to believe the best of the woman who had raised him. But you really have changed, haven't you?" Snow said when we'd gotten into the manor.

"I have. It's because of Henry. I adopted him when he was a baby and I've always tried to be the best mother I could be. When he realized the truth, found out that I had been the Evil Queen...I didn't know what to do at first. I could have lied to him, told him I didn't know what he was talking about. But he told me that, if I lied, things would turn out badly. He said he'd read it in a book but I doubt it. Our boy is a Seer. He's done it before. Told me things that will happen before they do. So I told him the truth. All of it. I told my son every rotten thing I'd done."

"How did he react?"

I smiled. "He told me he loved me and that he knew how to break the curse. He told me that my true love was out there somewhere and he knew just who she was. I almost cried when he said it was your daughter. After all, you hate me and I...I didn't think I had a chance in hell with Emma."

"But you do have a chance with her. My daughter is the kindest person I know. She has a forgiving nature. Besides, when she came home last night all she could talk about was how beautiful and kind you'd been. She was the one that urged me to come and see you."

"I know that now, of course. But when he first told me, I was convinced that I'd never break the curse. I will, though. I will break this curse."

Snow smiled. "I hope so. I miss my husband."

"You could have him, you know. He and his wife have been split up for over a year now. He's asked who you were a few times. Even in another world, the man is drawn to you."

Snow's eyes widened. "Really?"

I laughed. "You're his true love, Snow. Of course he's drawn to you. He asks about the pretty school teacher all the time. In fact...Emma said you and her would come for dinner tonight. I'll call and invite him."

"Oh you don't have to do that."

"He eats dinner at Granny's diner in town every night. I think he'd enjoy having a meal with others. Especially that pretty teacher he asks about all the time. Besides, I'm making lasagna and he loves it. I was friends with Kathryn, his former wife, and my lasagna was something he'd always liked when they came over."

"Then call him. I...I would like to at least talk to him. It's been so long."

I looked at my watch. "I'll go call him now. Emma will be here in ten minutes and I'll start dinner once she and David get here."

I left the room to call David. As I expected, he was excited to come to dinner to meet Snow. He said he was on his way and, by the time I'd come back to the living room, Emma had arrived with Henry. It was a Saturday evening and she'd taken him into town to hang out and get to know each other. She hugged me and kissed my cheek, smiling as I blushed at the contact. A few minutes later, David knocked on the door and I answered it.

"David, this is Mary-Margaret Swan. Mary, this is David Nolan."

"It's nice to meet you David."

The two shook hands and, as their fingers touched, a shudder ran through David. We watched in utter shock as he dropped to the floor, clutching his head. When he stood up again, his eyes were dark with rage and he stepped towards me. I took a step back, knowing that he'd remembered.

"My wife may not remember what you did but I do. You cursed us!" he shouted.

Snow laughed. "Of course I remember. I went through the wardrobe, didn't I? Stop being foolish Charming and sit down." she said.

"Snow, what are you saying? She cursed us. Separated us for twenty-eight years."

"And now she's changed. I believe her Charming. She cried when she saw me. Hugged me even. Not to mention that she is our daughter's true love and if you kill her you will make Emma a very unhappy woman. Now sit your butt down and listen to reason. I have not waited twenty-eight years to be reunited with you only to have you be an idiot."

Charming sighed and sat down. I sat down on a chair, Emma sitting on the armrest of my chair. Henry sat at my feet, staring at his grandfather with wary eyes. When we were all seated, Henry explained everything to Charming once again. At first, Henry's words seemed to go in one ear and out the other for Charming but soon, it seemed to get through to him. Charming looked to me curiously and I explained my part as I had to both Emma and Snow. Finally, he seemed to believe me. He only had one question.

"Why did you hate Snow so much? She never would tell me. She'd only tell me that it was partly her fault."

"It wasn't. I was in love with a servant girl named Danielle. We were planning on running away together before I had to marry the King. Snow wanted to help me by convincing my mother that I shouldn't have to marry the king. Snow told my mother that I was in love with a servant girl and mother...I've never seen her like that. She ripped Danielle's heart out and crushed it right in front of me. I was young...and I blamed Snow unfairly. I realize now that she was only trying to help."

"Why would your mother do that to you?" Charming asked.

"She didn't like that I was...well the term they use now is gay. She wanted me to be attracted to men, to marry the king and have his heir and be what she wanted. You have to understand that Cora, my mother, was a very...evil woman. She practiced magic under the Dark One himself, she was...well she loved power. When I learned magic, I banished her to another realm. I haven't seen her since."

"Regina...I never apologized for that. I should have kept your secret. I was old enough to do it but I didn't know how cruel your mother was." Snow said.

I shook my head. "You don't have to apologize, Snow. My mother would have gotten it out you no matter what you did."

Henry smiled. "Mom you should go make dinner. I'm starving."

I smiled. "I'll go cook dinner, love."

Emma followed me into the kitchen and we cooked dinner together while Snow and Charming had their reunion in the living room. We had a good dinner that night and, by the end of it, I knew that I'd found my family again. We would break this curse. I knew it. Emma opted to stay at the manor that night after Henry begged her to move in with us. She said she'd stay for a few weeks and see how she liked it but she winked at me when she said it and I knew that she'd decided to stay indefinitely. I was so close to my happy ending I could taste it.

 _Author's Note: Originally, I was planning on Charming not remembering until a lot later...but it works better with the plot this way. So I hope you like it. Next Chapter: Emma and Regina spend some time alone._

 _Jezza_


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